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The reigning
Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title suffered a
groin tear and will not be able to defend his crown against interim
135-pound champion Renan Barao
at UFC
169. As a result, Cruz will vacate the belt and Barao will
become the promotion’s official bantamweight champion. The
Brazilian will now defend the strap against Urijah Faber
in the new UFC 169 main event.

UFC President Dana White announced the news Jan. 6 on SportsCenter.
UFC 169 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on
Feb. 1 and also includes a featherweight title showdown pitting
Jose
Aldo against Ricardo
Lamas.

Cruz has not competed since Oct. 1, 2011, when he took a five-round
verdict over Demetrious
Johnson in a 135-pound title bout at UFC Live 6. A torn ACL,
two separate surgeries and a lengthy rehabilitation process kept
the
Alliance MMA product on the shelf for the next two-plus years.
White did not give a timetable for Cruz’s return from his latest
setback.

Barao successfully defended the interim crown twice in 2013,
submitting McDonald at UFC on Fuel TV 7 before scoring a
second-round technical knockout against Eddie
Wineland at UFC 165. The 26-year-old
Nova Uniao standout is unbeaten in his last 32 professional
appearances, including eight fights under the Zuffa banner.